Previously, when a sender wanted to track letter, flats, or packages, (hereinafter referred to as “mail”), the sender attached a tracking sticker to the mail. The sender recorded the tracking number that appeared on the tracking sticker before the mail was sent. In some cases, the tracking label provided a receipt, which made it easier to remember this information, but in all cases, it was necessary for the sender to “pull” the information by entering the tracking number into a computer system to track the mail. Typically, the tracking number had 22 digits; thus, someone had to be careful to enter the correct tracking number.
If a postage meter was used for the payment of the postage of the mail, the operator of the meter would enter the tracking label number into the meter, and the meter would upload information to a database. Then the operator would log onto a system and enter an account number that would indicate all the mail that was recorded for that meter and all the mail that was processed under that Postage-By-Phone account number. One of the problems with the foregoing procedure is that the operator would receive a list of all of the mail received from the meter.
Currently, carriers are placing serialized tracking numbered labels at outlets that may be obtained by senders. One of the difficulties of the foregoing is that nefarious people may record the serialized tracking numbered labels and utilize the tracking numbers to track other peoples' mail.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that a nefarious person may predict the serialized tracking number and use the number to track mail in an authorized fashion.
A further disadvantage of the prior art is that, in tracking systems that utilize predicable serialized tracking numbers and which allow exclusive tracking for the first person who enters the tracking label number permit nefarious people to disable the utility of the system by registering predictable blocks of numbers since the tracking numbers have a predictable order.
An additional disadvantage of the prior art is that, when carriers include accounting information on the label and use the label to facilitate the payment of mail, nefarious people may enter known account numbers which will redirect the payment of items mailed to unsuspecting carrier account holders.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the sender is not able to specify in which medium the sender would receive notification of the status of the tracked mail.